Heel pain in adolescent boys - Sever's disease - anyone BTDT?

[SebastianCat]

My DS is 11 and has been complaining of heel pain for about 4 weeks now.   We didn't think much about it until it lasted a couple of weeks, and finally got in to see a podiatrist today.   He said it's Sever's disease, an inflammation of the growth plates in the heels.   Here's what he prescribed:

 

-No activity for 2 weeks unless absolutely necessary (which means, no soccer - we had been limiting, but hadn't eliminated it completely)

-Ibuprofen (which we were already doing, for 2-3 weeks)

-Icing several times per day (which we had been doing regularly for the past week)

-No going barefoot, ever (which we had been enforcing for a week)

-Gel heel pads in every shoe (which we had been doing for a week)

 

My question, for those of you who have BTDT with your own children, is this - how often will this reoccur?  Every growth spurt?  Is there anything you did after the inital diagnosis that helped prevent future issues?   How long did it take for the initial inflammation to subside?   It's a little disappointing that we've already been doing all of the right things (except for eliminating soccer completely) and we've had no to very little progress.

 

DS loves to run "for fun" as a way to take a break from schoolwork.  DH actually thought he might have potential with cross country because he enjoyed it so much.   He had been running 1-2 miles about 5-6 days per week before this started, and he plays soccer in in the fall and baseball in the spring.   I'd love for him to be able to resume these and get the exercise he needs, without aggravating the pain.   

[plansrme]

This is a rite of passage among gymnasts, so I have seen it a lot. It willl likely not reoccur once this subsides, or at least that is usually true for gymnasts. Gymnasts wear a heel cup when it pops up so that they can continue training. Google "tulli cheetah" for some options. Also, whatever works for plantar fasciaitis will sometimes work for Sever's as well--the stretches, the tennis ball thing, the taping. Not always, but sometimes.

 

The pain usually does not last more than 2 or 3 weeks, but gymnasts may be pounding on a more forgiving surface then runners.

[Carrie12345]

We dealt with it twice with my oldest. Other than being bummed about missing half a season of baseball the one time, it really wasn't a huge deal.

It's been a couple of years since the second bout, but he's continued growing like a weed this whole time. 7", in fact. (I just got up and measured the door frame markings.) Goodness knows how many shoe sizes.

[In The Great White North]

Ds had heel pain about that age but we never had it diagnosed.  He put heel gel-pads in all his shoes and that seemed to work.

[Guest submarines]

I had severe heel pain for months at that age, it was never  seen by a doctor, though. It reoccurred once or twice, but not since. 

[SebastianCat]

Thank you for the replies!  They are encouraging - hopefully we won't be dealing with this every time he hits a growth spurt.

[Barbara H]

Yes, we went through it here right at the time of a big growth spurt. Calf and Achilles stretching made a big difference.

[DianeW88]

It will last until the growth plates in his heels fuse together...around 15 to 16 years of age, but sometimes a bit later.  It is very common among  young athletes.  My ballerina dd had it, and we see it in our office all the time...particularly in kids who participate in sports with a lot of jumping involved.

 

One of the best ways to strengthen the tendons attached to the growth plates is by having your son ride a Ripstick.  Honestly, it's been the best thing we've ever seen to help with the pain of Sever's.

 

You son will most likely continue to have flare-ups for a few years, but when they happen, just give him Ibuprofen and rest the foot for a few days.  My dd never had the luxury of being able to rest her foot during a flare-up, but she survived, and she's a professional ballerina today, with no long-term side effects from it.

 

Here's a link to a Ripsticks on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ripstick

[Jenn121]

My DD was diagnosed with  it in 2nd grade. She is a martial artist. It would rear it's ugly head when she over worked her feet. Ice and motrin worked well. She had to learn to do her TKD in special shoes(she hated it).

 

We were told it would resolve itself when her heel bones fused sometime in puberty. She has not had a flare in some time and it hopefully is done. She is 12.

 

 

[KarenC]

Is he wearing inserts in his cleats?  That helps a lot.  You'll have to replace them every couple of months.   Stretch, stretch, and stretch some more.

Ice after running.  KT Tape is incredible stuff.

 

http://www.kttape.com/

 

Karen

[trulycrabby]

I was a ballerina and had a severe case when I was 12. I'd take ballet class for 2-3 hours, then come home and play tennis for hours; I wore a cast for severe weeks and couldn't jump for months.

[Lanny]

Bursitis?  When I was about 20 or 22, I had incredible pain, in the heel of one of my feet. I went to an M.D. and he said it was Bursitis as I recall. I believe he gave me a Cortisone shot in the heel of my foot and that I went 2 or 3 times for Physical Therapy after that, where they had my foot in hot water with something in it.

 

Note: I had never had that problem before that age and I have never had that problem since that age. It was a ONE TIME thing.

 

I hope your DS will feel better, ASAP.

[linders]

DS13 (aka Bigfoot - he is a men's size 13 now) was diagnosed with Sever's last fall, in the midst of soccer season. It may have been triggered when he started a running program for scouts during the summer (the running was just 1 mile, but he has poor technique).

 

He was advised to lay off running and add orthotics to his shoes for daily wear - he stopped the running program but insisted on continuing soccer :glare:, and soccer shoes have no room for orthotics. When nagged, he did the various stretches he was given. He iced. The pain didn't really go away until winter, 2 months after soccer (and therefore all running) ended.

 

He has since narrowed his sports focus to swimming, which worked fine until...he moved up a level, and the dryland portion includes running. We sprang for high-end Asics running shoes (the heel is particularly stable) and added over-the-counter orthotics. So far, so good.

 

 

[Mandamom]

We had it here a couple of years ago. My daughter is a competitive gymnast and wore a heel cup for several months. She was also supposed to wear gel inserts in her shoes but never did that. Our coaches recommend a lot of calf stretching to help. 

 

 

[plansrme]

I am going to add icing tips: plunge that heel into ice water for as long as he can stand it. We use refeeezable ice packs to chill the water so that our ice maker does not mutiny. Also, you can freeze a paper cup full of water, tear a bit of paper away and rub it on the heel like you would roll-on deodorant. You know, if you wore deodorant on your heels. Ice is your friend!